Penalty Amount
$5,800,000
The FTC settled with background report providers TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate, charging they deceived consumers about the accuracy of their reports (often mischaracterizing traffic tickets as criminal records) and violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by operating as consumer reporting agencies without following its requirements, including ensuring accuracy and limiting permissible purposes. The companies will pay a $5.8 million penalty and implement a comprehensive FCRA compliance monitoring program.
Under the proposed order, TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate must pay a $5.8 million penalty. They are permanently prohibited from misrepresenting report accuracy and from failing to comply with the FCRA when operating as consumer reporting agencies. They must establish a comprehensive monitoring program to ensure FCRA compliance, mandate that endorsers disclose material connections, and monitor such endorsers.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements with background report providers to ensure clauses mandate strict FCRA compliance, accuracy certifications, and permissible use restrictions. For organizations acting as consumer reporting agencies, customer agreements must incorporate FCRA-required disclosures, accuracy guarantees, and audit rights. Key clauses to examine include data accuracy representations, compliance warranties, indemnification for FCRA violations, and limitations on use for employment or tenant screening. Recommended changes may involve adding FCRA compliance addendums, requiring regular accuracy audits, implementing robust data source verification protocols, and clarifying permissible purpose definitions to avoid misuse.
Entity
TruthFinder; Instant Checkmate
Industry
Data BrokerOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/09/ftc-says-truthfinder-instant-checkmate-deceived-users-about-background-report-accuracy-violated-fcra
truthfinder complaint
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/truthfinder_complaint.pdf
truthfinder proposed order
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/truthfinder_proposed_order.pdf
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate"
"pay a $5.8 million penalty"
"deceived consumers about whether consumers had criminal records and that the companies violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by operating as consumer reporting agencies while, among other things, failing to ensure the maximum possible accuracy of their consumer reports"
"failed to investigate and respond to consumer complaints about inaccuracies in their reports, as required by the FCRA"
"marketing and sold those reports for employment and tenant screening purposes"
"Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)"
The FTC, Utah, and Nevada sued Lens.com Inc., alleging that it advertised artificially low contact lens prices while hiding mandatory checkout charges and misleading consumers about its AutoRefill subscription. The complaint seeks to stop the alleged practices; the court has not yet decided the case, and no penalty or remedy has been imposed.
The FTC issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public comment on whether ad-optimization tools offered by online platforms may help scammers impersonate businesses and government agencies. This is a proposed regulatory inquiry, not an enforcement action against a named company; no penalty or remedy was imposed.
$2.5B
A federal court approved a revised order in the FTC's Amazon Prime case under which Amazon will accelerate and expand redress payments under the September 2025 $2.5 billion settlement, which resolved allegations that Amazon enrolled millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without their consent and knowingly made cancellation difficult. More consumers now qualify for refunds, the maximum payment cap rises from $51 to $200, and all future payments will be distributed automatically starting October 1, 2026, with potential supplemental $149 payments by April 2027. Amazon has already issued more than $845 million in redress payments as of September 2026.
$225.0M
The FTC and the state of Washington filed a joint complaint and proposed stipulated order requiring Amway Corp. and two affiliates—World Wide Group, L.L.C. (WWG) and Leadership Team Development Inc. (LTD)—to pay a $225 million judgment, the largest monetary recovery ever obtained from an MLM in an FTC action, over allegations that they used deceptive earnings claims and unfair tactics to recruit Independent Business Owners. The complaint alleges the companies falsely promised substantial income and recruitment success, pressured IBOs to buy products they could not resell, and instructed IBOs to falsely report sales. Nearly all of the judgment will be used as redress for IBOs who lost money, and the proposed order imposes structural reforms including a 70% resale requirement, independent audits of sales records, and a ban on approved providers charging new IBOs for first-year training.
$100.0M
FleetCor Technologies Inc. (now Corpay Inc.) and its CEO Ronald Clarke agreed to pay $100 million to settle an FTC administrative action alleging the company charged small business customers hidden and unauthorized fees for fuel cards and misrepresented gas savings, fraud-control features, and fees. A federal district court granted the FTC summary judgment on all counts in 2023, and a federal appeals court upheld that judgment and the permanent injunction in 2026. The settlement funds will be used to provide redress to harmed business customers.
FTC staff published FAQs on price transparency to help the automobile industry comply with the FTC Act, reiterating that an advertised vehicle price must be the actual price any consumer can pay, excluding only government-required charges. The guidance follows warning letters the FTC sent to 97 auto dealership groups earlier in 2026 and signals continued litigation against dealers that advertise one price but charge more through undisclosed fees. No specific entity was charged and no penalty was imposed.